Serpenti Misteriosi Pallini

First seen in 1955, the Serpenti Pallini reappears at Bulgari as a trio of high jewellery watches. For all three models, Bulgari has chosen an en tremblant setting - a technique developed in the eighteenth century by Parisian jewellers that uses a wire-coiled spring - for the gold beads and/or diamonds on the bracelets. Each bead or brilliant is individually set on a gold mesh using a technique derived from the en tremblant method so that the wearer’s slightest movement causes them to quiver, bringing the serpent’s scales to life. All three watches in the collection present a white gold serpent head paved with diamonds with emerald eyes and a white gold tail, also paved with diamonds. Bracelets are yellow gold with yellow gold beads, rose gold with rose gold beads and diamonds, or white gold with all diamonds. It takes some 500 hours to gem-set each watch. All three iterations are equipped with the BVL100 Picolissimo movement, a tiny manual-winding mechanical calibre developed by Bulgari that measures just 12mm in diameter and 2.55mm high, and weighs 1.3 grams. Beating at 21,600 vibrations/hour (3Hz), it contains a white gold balance that is 5.4mm in diameter and provides 30 hours of power reserve.